Polina Edmunds — U.S. Figure Skater Stuns In Olympic Debut

When three figure skaters take their final bow on that podium on Feb. 20, one of them could very well be 15-year-old Californian Polina Edmunds. Polina was more than solid in her short form debut on Feb. 19, earning enough points to leave her in serious medal contention for the big finale.

15-year-old Polina Edmunds definitely made her mark on the Sochi Olympic Games on Feb. 19, with a beautiful short skate program that briefly put the California teen in first place.

Polina Edmunds — U.S. Figure Skater Stuns In Olympic Debut

When Polina hits the ice on Feb. 20 for the Olympic figure skating finale, she’ll be inches away from medal contention.

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Polina earned an impressive 61.04 in the women’s short program on Thursday, putting her in seventh place for the big finale. Her routine — which included three triple jumps and a double axel — briefly put her in first place, before reigning champ Yuna Kim ousted her with a 74.92. The South Korean megastar finished on top of a virtual three-way tie with Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova and Italy’s Carolina Kostner, but all three ladies from the U.S. team are right behind them.

Currently closest to the podium is Gracie Gold, who pulled a 68.63, with Ashley Wagner holding strong in sixth place with a 65.21. A huge surprise came in the form of the Vancouver Games’ silver medalist, Mao Asada from Japan, who finished back in sixteenth with 55.51. Russia’s teen sensation Julia Lipnitskaia, who was largely favored after her stellar debut in the team skate, also fell short of high expectations when she landed in fifth place behind Gracie.

What did you think of Polina’s short skate, HollywoodLifers? Do you think she has what it takes to beat Yuna, Adelina, Carolina, Gracie, Yulia, and Mao? Let us know in the comments!